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Sunday, April 24, 2011

What can I say, I love apron and I guess I am becoming the apron lady to my sisters. Anytime there is a birthday or shower they tell me I should make an apron, and that is how this one came to be. My sister-in-laws birthday was a few weeks ago and she is so hard to shop for. So my other sis-in-law said that I needed to make her an apron because she loves the other one's I've made and has wanted one too. So I knew what to get her and I have been looking (loving, fondling, ogling; I sound like a fabric pervert) at this fabric for a while at Joann's wanting to make something from it.

Funny enough, this fabric although new, was the same print on a vintage apron pattern package!

How crazy, right!?

I have never done the heart bodice with the ruffles and they were surprisingly easy. Althoug, next time I think I need to make it just a little wider through the heart-part of it. I made the fabric flower in the center, but then never sewed it on before I gave it to her. I made this the night before we went to breakfast and was just finishing when they came to get me in the morning, I took so long deciding whether or not I liked the flower that I had to leave before I decided!

I think I like it better with the flower...or maybe without....I don't know.

Friday, April 22, 2011

This was my Husbands Christmas present. He had all his medals wadded up in a drawer and I think a Marathon is a thing to be proud of.

In looking around on google, all the medal hangers were like $40-60$, way too much for me.

So I went to this great shop called the Wood Connection and bought this unpainted board. It was originally for FHE board, but it works for me. Then I painted it black with 2 coats and then sanded the corners to give it that distressed look. I did a layer of gloss clear sealant. Using my (my mom's) Cricut I cut out the words. It was hard to get the letters on in just the right way, I need to get that contact paper for laying on vinyl. It took me awhile to find something that suited my husband, but I really like it.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

This wreath was easy to make, but VERY time consuming. I found it on this fantastic blog, Fabulessly Crafty she made a St. Patty's Wreath. I had been looking for a spring wreath but didn't want to spend $30 so I thought this would be just right. I had two rolls of crepe paper in hot pink and bright yellow. I went to the dollar store looking for a foam wreath to glue the flowers on but they were out, so I saw a noodle-the kind you swim with- and thought "I can bend that to whatever size I want!" so I got that and and extra roll of each color and some more hot glue sticks.

I bent the noodle and stuck a pencil--I know, I know, but it works- in the center and then added a dot of glue to make sure it didn't come undone.

Then I started making the rosettes. They were really easy, there is a tutorial on the blog I mentioned, but what I did was: Cut the crepe paper into about 24 inch strips and then crumbled them.

Then I started the rosettes: Start by making a small ball and then twisting and winding around the center, occasionally putting a dot of hot glue to make sure it stayed rolled. I put a small dot of glue at the end to secure it and there you go.

It took a while to get it down the feel for them and to make it look right, but then it flew.

I made most of the rosettes before I started gluing them on my noodle. It was a Sunday and my husband was gone, so the kids and I watched Harry Potter most of the day, all the while I made the rosettes. I glued them on and then glued a grey ribbon on the back.

When my Husband came home the first thing he said was "Wow. What's you with the color?" ﻿

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﻿The first time it rained the color bled out on my door a little but I think that I like it better now.

It looks vintage now.

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﻿﻿Don't you just love the Giraffe? It's my parents, they gave it to me to "babysit" and now they keep wanting it back. I am worried they will just take it off the porch someday.

Monday, April 18, 2011

They took a bit of work, more than I would've done if I had know before hand. The brilliant people from Hello Cupcake designed these.

There are a few steps so...

First, you need white and chocolate melts, M&M's (only brown), and white sprinkles. I got everything from a fantastic local store Kitchen Kneads (I started shopping there just because of the awesome name). Then on a piece of parchment paper you draw the outline of 2 sizes of butterflies, one small and one large and antennae for the small and large.

So you melt small amounts of white melts, I used my Pampered Chef microwave bowl, and color them the dark orange for the butterflies. Then melt a bit more of chocolate, put it in a Ziploc bag and start piping in on wax paper over the outline that was drawn on the parchment paper. Once you have a thick outline with the chocolate, then fill in with the orange and before it hardens, use a toothpick to swirl the chocolate in with the orange. Then sprinkle with the white sprinkles.....then do it about 70 more times.

Don't forget to do the antennae.

When the chocolate dries, which is does very quickly, they pop off the wax paper really easily. Just be careful not to leave fingerprints in the chocolate.

Once you have enough butterflies for all your cupcakes--two to three small butterflies can fit on one cupcake, so make more of them---you need to ice the cupcakes with yellow (or blue or green, whatever floats your boat) then you stick the wings into the cupcake at angles to look like they are flying. It was easier if I put them next to each other once they were done so I could see how they would look when they were set out all together, and then I knew which ones to make "fly" more and which ones I could have their wings a little more open. Then you take a M&M for the "head" and pip in chocolate frosting down the middle to look like it's body.

Then just slide in the antennae and TaDa! Your done!

And it only took...all day!

They are really cute, but I think people were intimidated to eat them. They didn't want to ruin them or something, I don't know. But they were cute.

(I was showing my husband this post and he told me they were "creepy" and too much to put in your mouth. So maybe take that in mind when you think of making it.)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I made these two curling iron travel bags as gifts for two fantastic women who are always helping me out, even when I don't think I need it.
They are for when you are on vacation and need to put away your iron and it's still hot. This way you can pop it in this bag and off you go.
They were really easy, but I think that I am going to do them a bit different next time.
I found the pattern for them from a cute blog Rubies and Peals but I did a few things differently.
I made the 2 pieces 6x30 inches but then I made the liner with old jeans, two layers. I quilted it on the inside pink layer, then stitched on the cute top layer. Turning it inside out was really hard because of the jeans. I also couldn't get the top to fold the way that I wanted so I stitched on the ribbon and I think that it made it very cute. I think that a fabric flower would be really cute too. Next time I make this I am going to look for a liner that is for heat, then it will fold the way that I want.
I really love this fabric though. I need to finish the one for me now, somehow when ever I'm making things for others mine never gets done.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

I made this "cake" for my son's 12th birthday. He thought it looked so cool. No one really ate any of it because they couldn't get past how much it really looked like spaghetti.

I got the idea from the book Hello Cupcake, it is really one of the best, cutest, easiest cupcake book ever and they just put out a new one that I need to get.

It's just about 15 cupcakes, they are iced with a thin layer of icing and then placed touching on a plate. Then you put your icing in a Ziplock bag and cut a very small piece of the corner and start swirling over the whole plate. At first, I didn't think that it would turn out, but then it started to really look like spaghetti! The "meatballs" are Candy House chocolate truffles. The "sauce" is strawberry jam.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

I have been on the look out for a new purse for a while now (my husband says that I am always buying new purses) and I just couldn't find one that I really wanted. I love all the ruffles that are IN right now and I saw a purse kind of like it the one I made.

So I pulled out some left over fabric from a dress that I made a few years ago for a trip to Atlanta and started piecing together what I thought I wanted from a purse.
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Inside Pink Liner with Pockets

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I used some pink fabric that I had from my daughters bassinet skirt from years ago and made a liner with just 3 pockets--one just for my phone (my family can never find it in my purses) and then to give it some stability, I made another liner from some old jeans.

This is the most recycled purse. Cost so far...nothing.

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The Jean liner. If you look close you can see the flower at the bottom.

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So then I cut 3 long---about 2 to 3 feet---of 3 inch ruffle. I gathered them and sewed them on the purse before I assembled it; So the side of the purse was laid out flat when I attached the ruffles, so easy this way. Then I sewed the bottom--I quilted a cute flower in the liner on the bottom, not that anyone will know but me...but I guess that is who it's for, then I sewed the liner on.

Right before I put it all together

I added the strap, which I put a piece of boning in to give it a bit of stability, then I took some other pink fabric (I don't know where I got this piece from) and made the bow on the side.

Funny story: When I was deciding on the size of the bow, I tied one that was I guess kind of big and my husband said that it was too big and might get caught in the car door. I laughed for about 5 minutes without stopping. The bow was really not that big and just the thought of the bow from my purse getting caught in the door was just too funny.

Anyway, back to the purse. I bought a pink purse magnet at Joann's (1.50 for 2) and added a big safety pin to hang my keys on, which I need to find something else because it detracts from the look, but that will come.

So total cost of the purse, if I am not counting the recycled fabric because really they served their original purpose (and if I counted it the fabric was still only about 5.00$), it was 0.75$ and my time, but that doesn't count because sewing is almost like therapy.

Monday, April 4, 2011

﻿Alright, I know that it is really silly and almost a little "crazy cat lady" to have a post about a cat...but here it is. My cat Jinxy is a stuck-up, bratty, snotty cat. She is the best pet I have ever had. She never needs nor wants too much attention. She can only stand about 30 seconds of petting at a time, and she is not one to hop in your lap. Unless she is in a mood. Then she jumps on my keyboard, or sits next to me on the couch and stares. She loves me most in the family--naturally--so when I am in my craft room, "crafting", she comes and hangs with me. It has a huge south facing window, so she sits in the sun and sleeps most of the time. She also likes to sit on my shelf feeling superior to all, and hiding from my daughter. She sometimes feels the need to sit right on whatever I'm working on, which drives me crazy, but I love her. The other day I was crafting and I look over and Jinxy was sitting on her shelf with fat hanging over the side and I had a moment where I felt like I was in a Harry Potter world. She is just the kind of cat a wizard would have; fat, lazy, and fantastic.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

I spent the day sewing today and I am so excited that I finally have my running skirts done! Yea! I made 3 today-from the cutting to the finished skirt--- and they were so easy.
I used Jalie pattern for their Multi-Sport Skort and after I got over the shock of a French pattern, it was really easy and the fit was fantastic; so much better than any of the American patterns. The fit is very specific in all the places you measure. Love it!
I only bought a yard of black fabric (at Joann's with my 40% coupon. They have tons of cute "dance wear" fabric), half a yard of pink, and I had the teal from some old pants that I didn't like any more. So the whole thing--all 3 running skirts-- were only $13!!! I have been looking at running skirts for months and the cheapest I could find was still $28+ shipping and tax. I have one already and the fit is just a little off and it is really short, almost too short, and the built-in shorts are just odd. So now I have the skirts and can wear it with whatever short I want. I plan on making the "hot pants" that are with the pattern, but not today. I am thinking that I could look in the clearance mens workout shirts for the the bulk of the color, and get it for like $2-3, and then buy the contrasting color with my % coupon at Joann's. I also added an elastic for the waist: I don't want to lose my skirt while I'm running.
I can't wait to run in these!
The photos are just a bit off because my husband hates taking pictures for me :)http://www.jalie.com/jalie2796-multi-sports-skort-sewing-pattern.html